Milwaukee native Beth D’Amato, now a senior artist at Industrial Light and Magic, joined What’s on Tap to explain the often-invisible work behind Hollywood’s biggest films. A Marquette alum, D’Amato specializes in digital paint, removing wires, reconstructing clothing and skin, and even digitally closing an actor’s mouth after filming wraps.
Her credits include Avatar, The Revenant, Transformers, Star Wars, and recent Jurassic World films. She detailed the painstaking work behind The Revenant’s bear attack, filmed as a single continuous shot and later rebuilt frame by frame.
D’Amato, who is also part of the Academy’s visual effects branch leadership, said the most rewarding part of her job is when the work goes unnoticed, proof the illusion worked. Locally, she also shared pride in seeing her father portrayed by Jim Belushi in Song Sung Blue, filmed in the Milwaukee area.
